A Different Kind Of Threat

Faded walls of blue with pink and yellow flowers graced the walls of the new location. A few mattresses were thrown on the floor. A hook on a metal cart. Some empty packages for bandages spoke of long since abandoned hospital.

The smell was one of dampness, mold lingering in unseen places and long since gone the days of disinfectants.

Joyce sat waiting for the young vampire to awake from her slumber. Levi had left to attend a meeting, leaving Joyce in charge. It was temporary, it was always temporary, it seemed.

She blinked " Alex?" She muttered still half a sleep, she blinked a few more times, tired eyes taking in her surroundings.

" Where..." she started then remembered what was going on. Her gaze fixed on the vampire across from her. "Who the hell are you?" She growled, showing her fangs.

"I'm Joyce," the woman said, "We met, I brought you the blood in the casino, though I'm not surprised you don't remember me. "

Her face was dark, almost black with long pointed ears. As she stood, the ridges on her back which extended down to the end of her long thick tail became apparent.

"I've been tasked with guarding you. And feeding you, when you're ready." Joyce motioned towards a black cooler in the corner. "You know you don't have to be so hostile. I'm not going to hurt you."

"No, I don't know that. Do you have any idea who I am? When Alex finds out you're going to die a painful death for messing with me." Aurora said.

"Yeah, yeah you're the childe of the Prince." Joyce sounded completely unimpressed. "No one here is impressed by that or scared of your Prince.

She looked at the young Ventrue for several moments. "Do you not understand? We are Sabbat. True vampires. The Camarilla is a bunch of imposters that don't have the right to call themselves Kindred. You were sired by the main one of them, here. We are using you to get to him. It makes no sense to harm you." Another pause, before adding in the warning. "However, Levi's patience extends only so far. As does mine."

" You think I care. You hurt me and Alex will let you fry in the sun, roaster toast vampire" Aurora said coldly.

She started again to try to get free of the chains. Maybe whatever spell was there had worn off or something. Magic worked like that right? Well it did in books.

"Your dear Alex would have to survive what we have planned first."

Joyce rolled her eyes at Aurora trying the chains again. "We're not stupid. Do you really think the magik on these chains wouldn't be reinforced?"

The Tmizice spoke into a walkie-talkie. "Bring her in."

Then turned her attention back to the Ventrue. "Perhaps a little demonstration of what we are capable of might make you more receptive."

It was a few minutes later when two very large Tmizice arrived. Both of them were around seven feet tall with muscular bodies. Foreheads with pointed ridges. Ears that hung low on their heads and big round black eyes.

With them was a woman, much smaller in stature, maybe 5'7" with an athlete build. She was bound from behind, blindfolded, and gagged. The two tied the woman to a pillar a few feet away but directly in front of Aurora.

Upon this other woman's blindfold being removed it was easy to see she looked completely normal. Almost too much so. Her eyes were brown, hair blonde, maybe in her early twenties. She didn't struggle.

A vampire that has slept and awoken, hasn't eaten for several hours. Hunger would become apparent soon enough. A trigger for such things would greatly impact that feeling.

The scent flew through the air and hit Aurora's senses hard. The woman was a human. That much was obvious but there was something else, something much harder to deceiver about her presence.

"Our new guest is Paula. Paula was caught being a bit nosy. We don't like that." Joyce explained.

" Let her go," Aurora growled angrily. She bared her teeth again.

"You lot are nothing but mutated rats," Aurora hissed. She could feel her stomach turning as if trying to eat itself.

"Can't do that. She's seen too much besides," Joyce wandered towards the other woman and then spoke to Paula, as she removed the gag. "Why don't you tell Aurora here what you think of vampires - all vampires?"

"They are disgusting, despicable creatures that need to be eliminated from this earth." Paula seethed the words through her teeth with a hatred so intense it could be felt throughout the room.

Joyce put the gag back on the woman, then turned to Aurora. "You can smell she's a human but that other feeling, the one that isn't hunger but a creepy uneasiness. That feeling is because she's a Hunter. I suppose modern fiction calls them Slayers. You still think she should be released?"

"I'm no monster, I'm arguing to protect your life, " Aurora said, confused.

She blinked looking at Joyce. "I don't care. Release her, t-this is wrong," She said.

Joyce's pauses were deliberately long, as if she thought something might happen.

"If that's what you want," Joyce finally responded.

She unchained Paula who proceeded to lunge towards Aurora. A blurr suddenly went towards Paula and before anyone could blink Joyce was restraining Paula and chaining her back to the post.

"You see if I let her go, she'll just try to kill you. If I leave her alone with you, with maybe one or two of her weapons - she'll succeed." Joyce said. "She's not being released. I'm going to use her for a demonstration."

Aurora shut her eyes tight when Paula lunged at her. She was startled by the attack. She was being held prisoner just like the other woman, why attack her?

It was Joyce's voice that snapped her out of it. Aurora blinked once, twice, then a third time before responding.

"Don't hurt her. You will only prove her right," Aurora said.

"The Sabbat, especially those of us who are Tmizice, do not care about being called monsters. We are. All vampires are." Joyce spoke like a teacher educating her student. "Only the Camarilla have chosen to hide that side. Not embrace it, the way it should be embraced. We are the demons in the night. We are not human and should not embrace our humanity."

" I beg to differ, and I'm sure so would Alex " Aurora said simply.

Joyce practically laughed at Aurora's comment. "We really don't care what your precious Alex thinks."

She looked at Paula, then addressed Aurora again. "Do you know what crafting of the body is? Flesh or bone crafting as most call it."

" No, I don't," She said glaring at the stranger.

Joyce paused for a moment, "We, the Tmizice that is, can manipulate bones and flesh, moving them, shaping them, like one would a sculpture. It's very painful. Vampires with time and blood and much discomfort go back to the way they looked before." She then walked by Joyce, putting her hand on the woman's arm. "but humans - most of the time they never fully recover - if they live through it."

"No, don't hurt her. Stop,please," Aurora yelled.

"I won't harm her - but you have to agree to do as you're told. I'm sure you want to eat by now." Joyce replied

" Fine, I'll do as you ask, '' Aurora said, finally. She dropped her head to look at the floor.

Joyce went over to the cooler and pulled out a blood bag, put a straw in it and held it for Aurora to drink it.

Aurora glared at her but drank the blood.

"Very good," when Aurora was done Joyce took the bag and left it on a table. Then walked back over by Paula. "Now what to do with you."

"You didn't kill her yet?" Levi's voice shot through the room as he stood staring at Joyce and Paula.

"I made a deal with our guest, over there," Joyce gave a nod towards Aurora. "I won't harm Paula if she cooperates. I was thinking we're going to move Aurora anyway, maybe we should just leave the slayer here. Let the Camarilla find her - they can deal with her. "

Levi thought for a moment, "Good idea. Even better..." He had walked over to Paula and whispered something in her ear, then backed away a little. "Go ahead and tell them that, likely right before you attack them."

Levi then walked over to Aurora, "Are you ready to take another trip?"

Aurora did not answer. She had to cooperate; she would not give them the satisfaction of her words.

"I suppose that's a yes," Joyce laughed.

Aurora was gagged and some rather large Tmizice came and carried her back to the van, putting her in the back.

It was several minutes later that Levi and Joyce got to the van. It took off down the street.

Aurora did not fight them. She did glare at them the entire time, but she could not risk the other woman's life by causing a scene yet.